


unravel

by sutera



Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, post-season two
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-03
Updated: 2017-10-03
Packaged: 2019-01-08 14:14:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12256023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sutera/pseuds/sutera
Summary: Hell, initially and possibly always, is where Lucifer expected to go after dying. But then, God always does have His own bloody plans, doesn't He?or,Lucifer goes to Purgatory and Chloe stubbornly pursues the case of his murder.





	unravel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so i literally sped through the entire two seasons because oh my god it has me so hooked!!! im crying lkmasf. and the soundtrack is so!!! on point!!! fml!!!! honestly when i was writing this i was writing to BANNERS - Start a Riot and and. man the emotions man. and also In the Air Tonight (hence the title) by Nathalie Taylor. such good song choices for this show, gosh.
> 
> BUT. I AM DIVERGING FROM MY POINT. this is au as you can see by the tags. i honestly thought lucifer was in purgatory and he was knocked dead right after watched the season 2 finale. obviously that isn't the case considering season 3 episode 1 (man i jumped through so many holes just to watch that since it isn't available in my country fml). SO. please treat this as canon divergent. like completely divergent. obviously i'll incorporate whatever happens in season 3 into this as much as i can but right now im kind of Whatever at this entire plot and stuff but. im mostly writing it for the angst anyway HOLLA.
> 
> anyway, without further ado, enjoy!

Ironically, the first person on the scene of the crime is a stripper who wanted to seek Lucifer out for some _fun_. Unironically, it’s Chloe Decker who receives the phone call first and is consequently the first one in complete disbelief that the impossible has happened. Or the inevitable. Or even just… _something_ she probably should’ve suspected.

 _Don’t be daft_ , Lucifer’s voice says in her head (it would be annoying if she weren’t in shock), _I’m immortal, remember?_

 _Except for when I shot you in the knee_ , Chloe thinks venomously back to Imaginary-Lucifer, because apparently her mind is that easy to lose upon hearing the three words that bring her entire world crashing down.

She’d set down the phone, ignorant of the worried calls from Dan on the other end, and now her gaze returns to it. Right. She had a voicemail from Lucifer almost half an hour before Dan had called her to give her the news. She remembers waking up and drowsily registering that Lucifer had called and left her a voice message before only a few seconds passed and she received Dan’s call. She remembers answering the phone and listening to the first few sentences, his voice frantic and worried and nervous and panicked all in one (which is surprising, because Dan never panicked this much since she went into labour), before asking him to repeat what he said because it didn’t make any sense to her at the time. No, in her groggy mind, Lucifer really _was_ immortal and therefore couldn’t be… _can’t_ be…

 _He's gone, Chloe_.

Slowly, Chloe replays Dan’s words back in her head. Slowly, she draws her pillows to her chest and frowns as her brain struggles to process the reality.

“I-I’m so sorry, Chloe. Listen, there’s… there’s been a crime and I know that—I mean, you can’t be on this case. Oh, God, Chloe. Someone else has already taken it. B-but I thought you should know. You need to know. You would’ve heard about it anyway but I thought—I’m… fuck.” Dan had stalled so much that Chloe had only managed a ‘hmm?’ in return before Dan finally broke the news.

“This is a joke.”

The voice comes from the doorway. Chloe vaguely remembers a slam happening before that since her mind is still on Dan’s voice but she sees Maze now. She just doesn’t understand what she’s saying and why she’s so upset.

“No. He’s fucking _joking_ , right?” Maze demands, stomping over to Chloe and grabbing her arm. Her grip is far too tight and Chloe feels the pain from afar as if it’s in another body altogether. “ _He can’t be dead_. That’s just—he’ll get back up. He’s just fucking with us again, just like when he ran off for two weeks. This can’t be _real_.”

Chloe looks at her, still dazed, and shakes her head in confusion. “Wh-who’s dead?”

Maze squints at her, frowning, before clarity seems to widen her eyes. She steps closer, her grip loosening on Chloe’s arm, and her gaze searches Chloe’s face for something Chloe can’t guess. “You don’t know? You would’ve been the first. Dan called, didn’t he?”

Chloe began to shake her head.

 _Silly detective,_ Lucifer says in her head, amused, because apparently Lucifer seems to be telepathic as well since he couldn’t be _dead_ , _I never knew you’d want me around so much that you’d completely blot out the existence of Detective Douche. It’s an honour. Or, well, it’s about time, really._

 _Stop calling him that_ , Chloe thinks back in exasperation, an automatic response if anything. It takes her a moment to realise that Maze is waving her hand in Chloe’s face but it’s a moment too late.

 _SMACK_.

Maze’s hand connects harshly with Chloe’s cheek and she startles at the movement and noise and sudden _pain_ because Maze is suddenly in front of her and Chloe really _looks_ at her now. Tears seem to be brimming Maze’s eyes and she’s breathing hard, something she hardly _ever_ does considering her skills and fit body, as she now glares down at Chloe.

“Pull it together, Decker!” Maze snaps out, clenching her fists. “You can’t be fucking serious, here! This is _Lucifer_! He can’t be dead! You don’t believe that, do you?! It’s bullshit because he doesn’t die and _you weren’t th_ —!” Maze cuts herself off, looking scandalized by her own actions, but Chloe doesn’t notice.

“Lucifer’s… dead?” Chloe asks, feeling very much like a small child all over again and hearing the news about her father… her _father_ dying. But that was one time and that couldn’t possibly happen again, can it?

 _Oh, detective_ , Lucifer says fondly in her mind, _sometimes you can be so stubborn. It’s quite attractive, actually, and it’s half the fun. Or should I say quarter? Half would apply to my frustration towards bedding you, really, since stubbornness takes the cake for that._

“What?” Chloe asks aloud, because she’s still just a little bit lost and Lucifer talking in her head is not how she thought she’d be taking his apparent death.

 _Okay, fine, I admit the other half of my frustration would be the whole denial thing. There is no easy way to say this but you must be honest with yourself. You_ do _find me utterly attractive, don’t you? The fact that you keep pleading deniability towards this is ridiculous, to say the least_.

Maze is looking at her, an unreadable expression on her face, before she pulls Chloe up and off her bed and drags her out the door.

“Whatever. This isn’t the time for a freak out, Decker. Lucifer’s in big fucking trouble and we’re gonna bust his ass for waking everyone up in the middle of the night with a fake death. Right? Right.” Maze’s voice shakes and Chloe doesn’t respond.

Lucifer’s response in her mind seems delighted. _Well! No wonder your house hasn’t blown up. You’ve both bonded on how utterly stubborn you can be! How trite_.

“Right.” Chloe isn’t sure who she’s responding to but it’s all she can say. Her mind is simply white noise save for Imaginary Lucifer’s ramblings. “Right.” A whisper this time.

 _Right_ , Lucifer echoes in her head, though it isn’t mocking. For some reason, it rings of sadness.

And, finally, she shakes.

\--

Reality starts to rest it’s chilly grip upon her the moment Dan stops her from entering the crime scene. He situates himself in an attempt to use his own frame to block the view, as if there aren’t already lights and an ambo and yellow tape to cordon off the scene from the public. As if trying to prevent them from seeing something he knew would hurt them.

 _Which is hypocritical, of course,_ Lucifer says loudly, and Chloe can imagine him wagging a finger in distaste. _He_ did _ring yourself and Maze, didn’t he? Why is he making the effort to shield you two_ now _?_

Chloe doesn’t even try to answer. Maze, however, is a different case in answering the situation directly in front of her.

“ _Out of the way_ ,” Maze hisses immediately, facing the man down despite their heights. “Don’t fuck with me because you _are_ , aren’t you? You’re just _pissed_ I keep outing your little secrets, is that it? So you decide to pull this stupid, _elaborate PRANK_ just to _FUCK WITH ME_ —!”

“Chloe,” Dan says, helplessly, because of course he isn’t even looking at Maze. He isn’t even trying to stop her and instead is completely facing Chloe. Distantly, Chloe wonders whether Maze is trying to pick a fight just to avoid the inevitable.

 _You’re probably right_ , Lucifer says quietly, _Maze rather hates failing. If it’s big, she’d rather drown herself in other troubles than face it, especially if she thinks it’s her own fault_.

Chloe twitches at the words and casts a stiff glance at the ferocious demeanour that is Maze.

“It’s not your fault,” Chloe says, holding eye contact with her. She feels her entire _being_ tremble and she wonders if she, too, is trying to delay the truth. “It’s—th-this is…”

“This isn’t ANYTHING!” Maze shouts and Chloe can hear the raw desperation in her voice, a willingness to believe anything _else_ than what Dan said—

“Maze,” – and Dan finally looks at her, and then Chloe realises her initial assessment of the scene was completely wrong because Dan _did_ manage to shield her from—from——

“Oh, _God_ ,” Chloe gasps out. “Lu- _Lucifer_ —!” Hands fly up to her throat, to her mouth, as if to stop the sudden cry being torn from her throat because as soon as Dan moved, she could see just a sliver of Lucifer’s face. The eyes are closed and the face pale and gaunt and so _unlike_ what she’s used to seeing; and around his head is a pool of blood and he doesn’t—even from _here_ Chloe can tell he isn’t _moving_ or even _breathing_ —

“No,” Chloe whispers, feeling a sob clawing up her lungs. Her breath hitches and she lets out another wretched sound. “No. No no no no…” She’s shaking her head, attempting to deny even _now_ , and from her lips spill a litany of denials because maybe, on some level, she _believed_ Lucifer was as invincible as he claimed to be.

 _You make me vulnerable, Detective_ , Lucifer whispers and it echoes the sentiment he said months ago. She remembers it, suddenly, him standing in front of her with an emotion on his face that she couldn’t decipher at the time. _Perhaps the effect from you extended over the phone despite me just leaving you a voicemail?_

Chloe chokes on her own haggard breath. It takes her a moment to realise Dan is next to her, starting to shake her, his voice calling her in worry and Maze is-Maze has already vanished. Vaguely, Chloe realizes she isn’t even by Lucifer’s body. She seems to have left entirely.

“Chloe? Chloe, come on. We need to go. They’ve already set up the investigation and I-I can’t leave you here. Not with him…” Dan trails off, sounding frustrated and helpless and _grieving_ , as well, and Chloe takes in a deep breath because, yes, there has to be an investigation now. Lucifer got _murdered_ , after all, otherwise there wouldn’t be numbers and police shielding the public away. There wouldn’t be people she recognized vaguely as other detectives combing the scene. There wouldn’t…

She hadn’t noticed it before but tears run down her face. The image itself played so much in her head that she hasn’t noticed her actual vision becoming blurry. She’s still trembling, with silent sobs wracking her frame, but Dan is supporting her.

 _I suppose this is the only time I would approve of him touching you,_ Lucifer snipes, though it seems half-hearted. _I’m surprised you wouldn’t want to bulldoze your way onto the case, though, Detective._

“P-personal connection t-to the vic,” she whispers, her voice stuttering amidst the onslaught of emotion, in answer to Lucifer’s hidden query. “I-I wouldn’t be allowed to-to work the case.”

“I know, Chloe, I know,” Dan whispers because, of course, he thinks Chloe is talking to him. He’s drawing her closer and she buries her face into his chest, smells the familiar cologne. It makes her weep stronger, wishing that instead _Lucifer’s_ musk was there instead, because at least he’d… he’d…

 _I’d still be alive_ , Lucifer whispers, and Chloe doesn’t react.

Until—

“The voicemail,” she says quietly. Dan stills above her and she looks up at him, determination starting to grow in her mind. “I-I received a voicemail from Lucifer a few hours ago, possibly right before he-he died.”

Dan’s already shaking his head. “No, Chlo. No. I’ll take you home and we’ll sort through everything there, alright? The LAPD will send someone over and you’ll hand over your phone and that’s the end of that. You can’t—you have to deal with this, Chloe. Don’t bury yourself in work.”

 _I hate to admit this but he’s right, Detective_. Lucifer sounds reluctant. Figures. _I wouldn’t go rushing off on your own. For all you know, the killer may know about you considering they found a loophole around my, ah, Decker-weakness. And I’m not speaking metaphorically. I’m being literal. Very literal. Literally to the point of me dying because you were possibly far too close for comfort._

Chloe scoffs, feeling anger build in her chest at both Lucifer _and_ Dan.

 _Not that you_ can _be too close for comfort,_ Lucifer continues hastily, _wait, can I take that all back? That came out much more terribly than I thought it would. Detective? Detective!_

“Shut up,” Chloe grinds out through her teeth, mostly at Lucifer though, when Dan inhales sharply, she guesses it’s at _him_ as well. “My partner was _murdered_. Whatever he intended to tell me must have been important and _someone_ must have wanted to prevent me from knowing. Either that or-or it was a coincidence and I was just—…” Chloe takes a shuddering breath. “Look, Dan, I-I _know_ I shouldn’t work on this case, or even _considering_ it, but I want to. I _need_ to, Dan. I… I really…”

Like him? Miss him? Neither of which currently makes sense in Chloe’s head right now but she doesn’t try to dwell on that thought. Strangely, Imaginary Lucifer doesn’t seem to have any comment on it.

“I need to bring him justice,” she whispers instead.

 _Detective…_ Lucifer finally speaks, his tone unreadable.

Dan looks at her for a moment longer before nodded reluctantly. “Alright,” he says, sighing, “okay. Fine. But _only_ on the condition that we get a night’s rest first. Not that we’d even _get_ any rest but… promise me we’ll start on this tomorrow? _After_ the police gets a statement from you?”

It’s not as if Chloe could do it on her own. She nods slowly and takes Dan’s hand when he helps her up. She looks one last time at the crime scene and sees that Lucifer’s body has been covered already. A tiny miracle. She doesn’t think she would have held her composure as much if she saw the body again.

 _Body_. Lucifer is just a body now.

Chloe shudders and hugs herself. She won’t cry. When Lucifer’s killer is brought to justice, _then_ she’ll grieve. Right now, though?

 _My soul isn’t at rest, blah blah, you can’t move on unless I move on, right? Or however you people put it. How silly_. _It’s like I said before, that’s just a body. My soul has already moved on. Not to somewhere I expected to end up, but certainly still unpleasant,_ Lucifer says, predictably already bored with the situation _even though it’s his own death_. Chloe’s already doubting her own sanity because of the stupid voice. Why the hell is she even trying to analyse what the Lucifer in her mind is trying to tell her?

“Let’s just go,” Chloe whispers, and feels the sharp pain of loss fade to a dull ache.

 _Repression is never good for you, Detective_ , Lucifer tuts, _Linda would agree with me. Not that I was the best example of facing my own feelings but you seem to be a special case all on your own, Detective_.

 _You can turn off now_ , Chloe thinks venomously to that part of her brain. She never had this when her own father died.  Denial, perhaps, but an active voice? Maybe she should check herself into a mental institution as soon as this case is over.

 _I would rather turn_ on _, Detective, but I’ll respect your wish._ Lucifer sounds vaguely amused. Chloe’s far too emotionally and physically drained to figure out what it all means right now. _Have a good night._

And her mind suddenly seems far too quiet.

She’s brought from further contemplations when Dan wraps an arm around her. She doesn’t fight it and instead leans in. She can definitely use the comfort.

Dan leads her to his own car. Chloe realises Maze’s own car— _Lucifer’s_ , once upon a time—is missing. Maybe Maze has her own way to grieving or maybe she’s already trying to find the killer. Whatever the case, Chloe doubts they’ll be able to contact her let alone find her right now.

Chloe leans back in the passenger seat and stares blankly at the road.

“Lucifer’s dead,” she whispers and, somehow, the silence in her head makes the revelation so much more worse. She wants to cry. She wants to kick at the dashboard or jump out of the car. Despite the flashes of anger and sadness and denial before she feels so… she wants to do _something_ yet at the same time there’s an emptiness in her stomach that threatens to swallow her whole.

“We’ll catch whoever did it, Chlo,” Dan says quietly, “I promise.”

“Right,” she responds, and stares out the window. “Of course we will.”

 _Don’t be daft_ , Lucifer had said before, which is something that surprisingly gives her comfort now. She shouldn’t doubt herself. She can’t. She has the best track record for solving cases and this would be for Lucifer. This would bring justice for him because she…

She can’t finish the thought.

“Don’t be daft,” she repeats aloud and Dan barks out an empty laugh.

“You sound like him,” he says and Chloe almost laughs herself.

If only he knew the half of it.

\--

Purgatory is not what he expected but he’s here and he _hates_ it. And he’s pissed off. And he’s dreadfully annoyed as well as _bored_.

Shaking off the remnants of a strange, almost unrecoverable dream, he shifts his gaze to the pure desert and shitty, sandy landscape stretches as far as the eye can see. The sun burns bright above, literally blistering Lucifer’s _apparently_ sensitive soul because how the Hell else is he hurting right now? And, the _kicker_ of it all is that it’s his his Father who undoubtedly _put him here_ in this Hellish place.

Hellish. Hah. Of course. No. This is Purgatory. Stupid, bloody Purgatory where hardly _anyone_ goes because—

“IT’S SO BLOODY BORING!” he yells at the sky. Wind blows in response. The tiniest bit. He scoffs and crouches down, feeling anger building up but knowing that there’s nothing he can do about this right now because— “SOMEONE DECIDED THAT I SHOULD LAND HERE INSTEAD OF HELL!” Pointedly, he glares at the sky. If Father got the message, Lucifer doesn’t receive any indication.

 _Good to know you’re as dramatic alone as you are surrounded by other people_ , says _Chloe_ in his mind, all of a sudden, and Lucifer automatically _preens_ at the voice.

“Company! Lovely. I was beginning to think I was going to die of boredom here and instead I get someone to talk to! And you being that person, Detective, is an incredibly appreciated bonus.” Lucifer honestly doesn’t care if he’s going insane or not. Weirder things have happened to him, after all, what with Hell and Damnation, so he’s not going to look a gift in the horse’s mouth. Or was it horse’s mouth as a gift? Bloody Hell, it isn’t worth it to think about that line of thought more.

 _What exactly have you gotten yourself into this time, Lucifer_? Well, at least Mind-Chloe isn’t slacking in the personality department. His imagination truly is magnificent.

Lucifer begins rubbing his hands together, standing to glance around at his surroundings, and opens his mouth to respond but something in the corner of his eye makes him pause. Something white. _Pure_ white. _Feathery white_.

He looks over his shoulder and just stares at the expanse of _wing_ currently protruding from his shoulder blade. He looks to the other side and sees _more wing_ protruding there, too.

Chloe gasps in his head, apparently awed at the sight despite the revulsion building up in Lucifer’s own being, and says _they’re beautiful. So much more beautiful than… than the fake wings at the auction_. A pause. _Those… those are real, aren’t they?_

Lucifer scoffs, stretching his wings out to their fullest extent, and answers aloud: “they are, yes, thank you for noticing, Detective. I’m so glad that the truth can finally be revealed to you when, this time, _you’re_ the one not real in this equation.”

Mind-Chloe doesn’t seem to have paid attention to his words, still apparently awe-struck at the existence of his divinity. _But they’re… Lucifer, you weren’t serious about you actually cutting them off before, right? I mean they’re… they’re a part of you. And it’s…_ you’re _… amazing_.

Lucifer’s eyebrows shot up so fast; he honestly wasn’t sure whether to be offended or be pleased at the praise. “Lovely, Detective. If you take out that first part about these wings being a part of me then I will be happy to accept your compliment.”

 _What?_ Chloe says, confused, _but they’re yours. Why wouldn’t you be proud of them?_

“ _Because_ , Detective,” Lucifer snaps out, vaguely annoyed that he’s even trying to explain himself to his own imagination, “they’re a reminder of my past, something my _Father_ gave me, and so it symbolizes my… _relation_ to Him. I’d rather cut them off than have these wings remind me that I’m _born_ of Him.”

Chloe grows silent for a moment and Lucifer feels strangely vilified for having quietened the part of his mind that apparently accepted the wings as they were. Terrible, really, because he should have cast aside all doubt about this issue _long_ ago instead of it showing up again in the Detective’s image. It could almost tarnish the thought of her which would truly be a tragedy.

 _Alright_ , Chloe finally says, _I’ll drop it. But you have to answer my question from before: what the Hell have you gotten yourself into now?_

“Actually, Detective, Hell is where I would rather be right now so you’re wrong on that account. _Purgatory_ is the accurate term. I believe it’s mentioned somewhere in your Bibles?” Lucifer grimaces at the thought. To think he’d actually visit this realm instead of going straight to Hell. He’ll definitely be turning that thought over and over again because he _surely_ isn’t here for what Purgatory is _truly_ meant for, is he?

 _I haven’t read up on Purgatory much_ , Chloe admits reluctantly, _tell me about it?_

“It’s a place of purification, ironically enough,” Lucifer starts, disgust lacing his words, “which is _clearly_ the best place for the Devil. Truly, what _is_ Father thinking? I imagine He thinks this funny. Let’s put dear old Lucifer in a place intended for souls that need to be redeemed! As if I _need_ redemption. As if I even _want_ it.” Lucifer shakes his head, a scowl now gracing his lips. “At the end of this lovely purification is an ascension to Heaven. Or, rather, an eternal life in Purgatory for _me_ since I was BANNED FROM HEAVEN IN THE FIRST PLACE!” He directs his last point to the skies again, a glare in place, as if He would actually _hear_ him. Unlikely, however, and so he returns his gaze to the ground.

 _So you’re… stuck there? You’re stuck in Purgatory?_ Chloe asks, confused frustration clear in her words.

“That seems to be the case.”

_You can’t… use your wings to just fly out?_

Lucifer pauses. He’d been for so long _without_ them that he forgot he can actually go _anywhere_ with them. Within a _second_ , if needed. He should’ve thought of that. But then, maybe he subconsciously didn’t _want_ to in the first place.

 _I can hear you_ , Chloe says, irritated.

“Nevertheless, I don’t want to use them,” Lucifer declares, finality in his tone. “I’d rather suffer than have to use any creation from my Father ever again.”

 _That’s stupid_.

“It’s not! Why do you think I had them removed in the first place?”

_You’re just being stupidly prideful. Just use the damn things and fly out of there!_

“No.”

_Stop being stubborn!_

“I’m _not_ being stubborn! You and Maze are the ones who—!” Lucifer pauses. Hadn’t he said that before? At some point? Perhaps during one of the cases. He’s not entirely sure _which_ one but this sense of déjà vu is a bit too strong to dismiss, as if it’s important to remember.

Chloe bulldozes him over anyway. _Shut up and use your wings!_

Lucifer grumbles and tucks his wings back in toward himself. Chloe lets out a frustrated sigh.

_Fine. Fine! See if I care! Go rot in Purgatory forever!_

And his mind becomes quiet. Lucifer frowns and stills his wings.

“Detective?” he asks aloud.

No answer.

“Detective?” he tries again.

Nothing.

The silence stretches on as long as the desert and he feels a hollow feeling start in his stomach. A strange feeling. Something he’s felt before. Something Linda called _loneliness_.

 _I’m not lonely, I’m surrounded by people!_ He remembers saying once. Well, now he’s not so surrounded. This emptiness is _worse_. Almost like…

Almost like Hell.

“Chloe?” he whispers now, but still doesn’t get a reply.

Great, now even his imaginary Chloe abandoned him. The feeling in his stomach grows but he ignores it. Maybe he’ll use his wings. _Maybe_.

He sighs.

“Come back,” he pleads quietly to the blistering sun and the dusted, stale air; to _Chloe_.

No one answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sooo since im a busy person updates WILL be incredibly slow. feedback and such will be appreciated if they're about anything but my typos since i never use a beta reader and i tend to go back and reread for errors anyways rippp.
> 
> but i really appreciate anyone who took the time to read this. i hope yall enjoyed and it invoked emotions!!! man im so excite to be a part of this fandom im so!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! iM LITERALLY JUST in time thank god for joining just as season 3 starts bless!!! bless!!!!
> 
> okay yes have a good day bye lkjkaljfs. see yall in the next update... whenever it... comes... rip.


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